Perivascular adipose tissue in the abdominal aorta
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Perivascular adipose tissue in the abdominal aorta
IRAS ID
296512
Contact name
David Newby
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Edinburgh
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Abdominal aortic aneurysms occur when the aorta becomes abnormally dilated. They are progressive and as the aorta enlarges, the vessel wall becomes weaker. The weaker it becomes, the higher the risk of rupture. Currently, the best clinical predictor of rupture is size. Consequently, the mainstay of surveillance is regular assessment of aneurysm diameter using ultrasound, followed by treatment when a size threshold is reached.
Size is however a very crude method, and not always predictive. Specialised scanning techniques which can detect the disease activity within the wall of the aorta have also been developed to try and predict aneurysm progression and rupture. These techniques could provide a more personalised medicine approach. However, they require specialised imaging methods and equipment. This study looks to develop a technique to detect levels of fat (adipose) tissue around blood vessels. This is an indirect measurement of inflammation. It has already been shown to work in coronary arteries but it has not yet been studied in aneurysm disease before.
This analysis does not need specialised scanning techniques or equipment because it can be performed on Computed Tomography (CT) scans which are performed as part of routine surveillance. The study looks to analyse CT scans performed for patients as part of their standard of care. The CT scans will be pseudonymised from the beginning of the study.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 1
REC reference
21/ES/0044
Date of REC Opinion
28 Apr 2021
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion